Police prepare to search scrubland in case of missing British girl Madeleine McCann

Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have cordoned off an area of scrubland near where the British girl vanished seven years ago.

Officers placed yellow-and-white police tape Monday around the waste ground, which is slightly larger than a soccer field, and were expected to examine the area in coming days.

The scrubland is a stone's throw from the resort in southern Portugal where Madeleine vanished from her family's vacation apartment shortly before her fourth birthday.

Authorities in Portugal and Britain said recently they would conduct new searches in coming weeks after reviewing the case file and a new public appeal for information.

British police have compiled a record of cases involving sexual assaults on children in the area between 2004 and 2010.

Portuguese police reopened the case last year.